Support the NACR Everything we do is dependent on the faithful generosity of people like you. You can make a tax deductible contribution online by going here Rooted in Gods Love The book from which these meditations are taken can be purchased here Summer Institute of Recovery Studies Join us next summer for a week- long intensive in recovery ministry. Details are here Subscribe If a friend is forwarding these meditations to you and you would prefer to have your own subscription you can sign up using the form at the bottom of this page Daily Meditation for Friday 22nd of August 2014 If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales. It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas - no wonder my words have been impetuous. Job 6:1-3 When we have lived for a long time by the dont talk rule, learning to talk honestly and personally can be a real challenge. Our attempts to move away from self-deceit toward honest self-disclosure may be quite awkward. Its not reasonable to expect ourselves to be gifted at telling the truth when we have practiced deceit for so long. Sometimes our words will seem startling. We will feel our pain, find our voice, and the words and emotions will tumble out raw and uncensored. This text calls these impetuous words. Another translation of this text calls them wild words. It is not easy to break the silence, to talk about what is real, to tell the truth about what we see and hear, to share what we think and feel, to tell our stories. Breaking the silence is like breaking the sound barrier - sometimes it can be quite loud and it can rattle the walls a little. When our misery feels like it outweighs the sands of the sea, our emotions are going to be intense and our words will sometimes be wild. Wild words are part of the journey and should not surprise us. Intense feelings sometimes need strong language in order to find true expression. Lord, I am not accustomed to talking. I am not gifted at honesty. I have practiced dont talk for a long time. And now I need to practice honesty. Help me to be patient and accepting of my wild words. Even when the wild words frighten me. Help me to pursue the truth. Give me the courage I need. You, Lord, who created the worlds with a word, Give me the words I need. Amen. Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan Dale Ryan is an Associate Professor of Recovery Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. Juanita Ryan is a therapist in private practice. You can read Juanitas blog at Graceful Growth This email is sent only to people who have requested to be on the NACR Daily Meditation mailing list by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list by sending an email to nacrmed-request@nacronline with the word unsubscribe as the subject of the email. Snail Mail: P.O. Box 3771, Richmond, VA 23235 Voice: 888-551-NACR (888-551-6227) © 2011 * National Association for Christian Recovery * All rights reserved.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 14:42:04 +0000
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